Census workers start visiting homes

The U.S. Census Bureau has begun following up with households nationwide that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. Based on the current self-response rate of 63.3 percent nationally the Census Bureau estimates it will need to visit about 56 million addresses to collect responses in person.

Census takers have completed training on social distancing and safety protocols, will follow local public health guidelines, and will be required to wear face masks when conducting followup visits.

“America has answered the call and most households responded to the census online, by phone or by mail,” said bureau director Dr. Steven Dillingham. “To ensure a complete and accurate count, we must now go door-to-door to count all of the households we have not heard back from. During this phase, you can still self-respond online (at 2020census.gov), by phone (at 844-330-2020), or by mailing your completed questionnaire.”

The nonresponse followup operation is the final stage of conducting the once-a-decade population count of everyone living in the United States. Those that respond will not need to be visited to obtain their census response.

Minnesota is leading the country in its census response rate, with nearly 72 percent of households responding. Wisconsin is second. In 2010, Minnesota finished the census with about 74 percent of households responding.